Providing 1,947 sqft of elegant living space the Blue Plaque former London residence of French Emperor Napoleon III, a first-floor two bedroom apartment in a Grade II listed building at 1C King Street in St James’s, has been brought to the market for the first time in 20 years by sole selling agent Wetherell, the leading estate agent in Mayfair and St James’s.

The two bedroom former Royal residence has exceptional ceiling heights and a south facing aspect and is located in a palatial four storey white-stucco period building at 1C King Street which behind the retained façade was refurbished and fully modernised by leading developer The Berkeley Group, with a specification by luxury design house Collett-Zarzycki.

As a result the apartment combines period features such generous ceiling heights and tall sash windows with a modern specification including bespoke joinery, feature lighting, woodstrip flooring, fully kitted designer kitchen and bespoke design marble bathrooms.

The apartment has a main drawing room, opening onto a step-out balcony, with double doors leading into a library/dining room. There is also a spacious fully fitted kitchen/breakfast room
with Gaggenau appliances and an informal dining area by the window; a principal bedroom suite, with walk-in dressing room and marble bathroom; and a second bedroom suite with ensuite bathroom. The apartment has air conditioning throughout and the apartment building is complete with lift access and a concierge service.

Napoleon III (1808-1873), the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, was the first President of France (1848-1852) and later Emperor (1852-1870). After Napoleon I was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon II spent many years in exile in England and Germany, but was constantly plotting to return to power.

In 1840 he attempted a coup but was arrested and imprisoned in France before escaping back to England where he became a leading figure in London society. It was during his time in London after escaping imprisonment, that Napoleon III took a lease on the residence at 1C King Street in February 1847 and transformed its interior into a tribute to the Bonapartes, installing in the large first floor drawing room a portrait of Napoleon I by Delaroche and uniforms worn by his uncle.

During his stay at 1C King Street Napoleon III was given honorary memberships at some of St James’s most prestigious clubs and in the drawing room and library of the property he entertained Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli and novelist Charles Dickens and had an affair with wealthy heiress Harriet Howard who helped to fund his return to France.

In 1848, after the fall of the Bourbon monarchy, he returned to France where he was elected President in 1849. It appeared that in his return to France he left the apartment at King Street with haste, for his landlord, upon entering the apartment, found his bed unmade and his marble bathtub still full of bathwater.

Reluctant to step down as President after the end of his four year term in office in 1851 he undertook a coup d’état and retained power by force, later proclaiming himself Emperor. It was during his Royal reign that he founded the Second Empire, reigning until the defeat of the French Army by Prussia and its allies at the Battle of Sedan in 1870. After this, he was exiled once again, fleeing France to Chislehurst in Kent, where he died two years later.

The elegant building boasts London’s earliest surviving Blue Plaque, the only plaque to have been installed during a recipient’s lifetime, as recipients must normally have been dead for 20 years, making this building particularly noteworthy. The plaque was manufactured by Minton Hollins & Co. and erected by the Society of Arts in 1867 to commemorate the residence of Napoleon III, and is notable for bearing the imperial eagle, a symbol of empire used by both Napoleon I and Napoleon III.

Peter Wetherell, Founder & Chairman of Wetherell says: “We are delighted to bring this beautiful and elegant former Royal residence at 1C King Street, once the London home of French Emperor Napoleon III, to the market for the first time in 20 years. This Blue Plaque home provides the perfect London base for someone who like Napoleon III wants to be located in the heart of London with easy access to the luxury shops and fine restaurants of Piccadilly, Jermyn Street and adjacent Mayfair.”

1C King Street is brought to the market by sole selling agent Wetherellwith a guide price of £4,500,000 (share of the freehold).